How many sphinxes live depends on many factors - conditions of detention, health status and the presence of hereditary diseases. In this article you will find information not only about their life expectancy, but also about the varieties of the breed, common diseases and the features of home care. You will also learn the story of the long-lived cat Grandpa Rex Allen, who was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
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Description of breeds, life span of sphinxes
Sphinx is a collective term that refers to a group of breeds of hairless (bald) cats. The causes of the loss of wool by the ancestors are unknown. There is an assumption that this is due to single mutations of natural origin. Below are described the breeds of sphinx cats, common in Russia, the history of their appearance, external features and average life expectancy.
Canadian Sphinx
The first mention of hairless cats dates back to the Middle Ages. They were found in France and Australia, as well as in the territory of the modern USA and Canada. They knew about these amazing animals and the Aztecs, but the official date for breeding the breed is 1971, when it received a temporary status.
It all started with the birth in 1966 in Canada of a bald kitten Prun, who was subsequently included in the breeding program with his mother, sisters, and female offspring. It is noteworthy that the young were born as a result of crossbreeding, both hairless and ordinary.
The turning point came in 1975, when a shorthair cat from Minnesota gave birth to a naked kitten, Epidermis. He became the founder of modern Canadian sphinxes. Since that time, breeding of hairless cats has been put "on stream".
Representatives of the breed have smooth body contours, a rounded belly and a tail twisted with a “donut”. The front legs are slightly curved. The skin is folded, wool is acceptable behind the ears, tail, nose and limbs.
The ancestors of the breed were long-lived, surviving to 16-19 years. The life expectancy of its modern representatives is somewhat less, about 12 years.
Don Sphinx
Don sphinxes were bred in Russia. This story began in 1986 in Rostov-on-Don, when a local resident Elena Kovaleva brought home a cat found on the street and called her Barbara. After some time, the animal began to lose hair, while the general condition remained satisfactory.
In 1990, Barbara gave birth to 3 kittens from the cat Basil, European Shorthair. One of the cubs, a girl named Chita, became the ancestor of the new breed, which received the recognition and name of “Don Sphynx” in 1996. The breeding was done by Irina Nemykina.
These cats have developed muscles, hair on the body is absent. The paws are tall and even, the tail is long, the ears are large, the eyes are almond-shaped. Representatives of the Don breed live from 12 to 15 years.
Peterbald
Peterbald (as well as St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg Sphinx) is a breed bred in 1994 in St. Petersburg. It was obtained by crossing the Don Sphinx and Oriental cat. 4 cubs were born, they are considered the ancestors. In 1996, the breed standard was adopted, and it received official status.
Petersburg sphinxes are slender, with a long and narrow head, almond-shaped, slightly slanting eyes. Large, ears apart indicate a relationship with an oriental cat.
As a rule, Peterbalds live to 10-12 years. Compared to other breeds, this is a bit.
All types of hairless cats are flexible. They are loyal to children and other pets, endlessly loyal to the owner. Pretty mobile and inquisitive, playful. But it is worth considering that they are very vulnerable and touchy, although not vindictive.
Interesting fact. Before a special variety of hypoallergenic cats was bred, sphinxes were the only breed that people with allergies to cat hair could keep in their homes.
Diseases of the sphinxes associated with their hairlessness
Health problems can significantly shorten your pet’s life. Especially if they were not detected on time, and the animal did not receive proper treatment. Therefore, it is important for all owners to know about the diseases that most often affect the sphinxes.
Skin cancer
This is an oncological disease characterized by the development of neoplasms on the skin. It occurs due to prolonged exposure of the animal to the sun. It can appear at any age, more often in the elderly (over 10 years old).
Skin cancer can be recognized by its characteristic symptoms: any age spots that change in color or size. The disease develops very quickly, melanoma gives metastases to the internal organs, primarily to the lungs, from which the animal dies in a matter of weeks or months.
Early diagnosis and follow-up by highly qualified veterinarians is crucial. For treatment, the Roncoleukin immunomodulator is prescribed or surgery is performed to remove the neoplasm.
But most often any therapy is aimed only at some improvement in the quality of life and its slight extension. Therefore, prevention of the disease is necessary: limiting the pet’s stay on the street to several minutes, including on the balcony or in front of an open window. At the same time, he should be in clothing that covers the body as much as possible.It is best not to allow the animal to be in the sun or even outdoors.
Respiratory disease
Respiratory diseases occur due to hypothermia or as a result of contact with a sick animal. Among the first symptoms indicating that the pet is unhealthy is lethargy, impaired appetite, difficulty swallowing. Soon, coughing, shortness of breath, stool disturbances, increased tearing, and hyperthermia join these signs.
Attention! The normal body temperature of sphinxes is higher than human - 38-38.5 ° С. If your pet is hot to the touch, this does not mean health problems, unless there are other signs.
There is no specific treatment for the common cold, it is carried out according to the symptoms. The owners are required to provide the cat with peace, put it in a room with a comfortable temperature (not cold, but not hot) without drafts. And if the animal has a fever, you need to drink it abundantly to avoid dehydration. They also recommend giving the sphinxes vitamin complexes to maintain immunity.
To prevent respiratory diseases, hairless cats should be kept warm, avoiding hypothermia, and if necessary, dressed. And kittens are not recommended to be weaned from their mother until they are 14 weeks old.
Hereditary Sphinxes
The incidence of hereditary diseases is about 1-2%. These include:
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. With this disease, the heart muscle thickens, due to which the volume of the ventricles of the heart decreases. This leads to disruptions in the functioning of the organ, and if the cat does not receive appropriate treatment, thromboembolism of the femoral, mesenteric, renal and cerebral arteries develops. The disease can occur at any age and is asymptomatic, therefore, before any manipulations with the use of anesthesia (castration, dental treatment, etc.), it is recommended to perform echocardiography.
- Mitral valve dysplasia. This is a congenital anomaly of the heart. It manifests itself during the 1st year of life with superficial rapid breathing (tachypnea) and audible breathing sounds. Treatment is carried out in case of congestive heart failure. A decrease in motor activity and a restriction of salt in the diet are shown. Such cats are not allowed for breeding.
- Muscular dystrophy (myopathy). This is a genetic disease that affects muscles. It has a non-inflammatory character. It is believed that it occurs due to a lack of alpha-dystroglycan in muscle tissue. It appears at the age of 6-9 months, after which it either proceeds statically or slowly progresses. There is no cure.
These diseases can significantly shorten the life of a cat. Therapy of such conditions is aimed only at maintaining the animal. However, such diseases are relatively rare, sick animals are usually removed from breeding.
How to extend the life of a pet
If you have a sphinx, you need to be aware that cats of this breed differ from their woolly counterparts not only in the absence of vegetation on their bodies. And this means that they need a special approach.
It is better not to let out bald cats on the street, especially in clear weather. This is fraught with sunburn, which the animal can get, even sitting on the windowsill or being on the balcony.
And also sphinxes are afraid of drafts. Ventilating the room, it is better to take the animal to another room. And if the house is cold, you need to take care of clothing for the pet.
Bathing bald seals is recommended once every 1 or 2 weeks, and often clean your ears. They produce more sulfur than their fluffy counterparts. In addition, you need to regularly clean the nails and the skin around them.
Another important point is nutrition. A predilection for gluttony is found in cats of many breeds, but in sphinxes this is a characteristic feature. They are able to absorb food in huge quantities, sometimes eating something completely unusable. Because of this, there are problems with the digestive tract.To prevent them, you need to limit the animal in food, giving high-quality full-fledged food and exactly as much as necessary. And while eating people are better off removing the animal into another room, otherwise the pet will look into the plates.
Important! Treatment and advice on caring for the sphynx should be obtained only from veterinarians specializing in the breed, as bald cats are fundamentally different from ordinary ones, including metabolism.
Sphinx long-lived Granpa Rex Allen
The famous sphinx long-lived lived for 34 years and 2 months. By human standards, it's almost a century and a half. The cat was born in 1964 and died in 1998 in Austin (USA, Texas). His name was Granpa Rex Allen, his father was a Devon Rex, and his mother was a sphinx.
There was a celebrated long-lived in the family of Jake Perry, along with other cats, among whom was Puff Puff, a fluffy black and white beauty. She is also included in the Guinness Book of Records, as she died at 38 years and 3 days.
What was the secret to the longevity of Jake Perry's pets has not been established. It is known that in addition to dry food, he gave them breakfast eggs, turkey meat, broccoli and coffee with cream, and also poured a few drops of wine a day later. However, many experts agree that caffeine, as well as alcohol, is harmful to cats. In addition, all Jake Perry's pets were neutered or sterilized, but even this could not contribute to the fact that they lived so much longer than other cats.
And the owner also took care of the leisure of his four-legged wards. He organized a “cat cinema”, where furry (and hairless) viewers watched documentaries with views of nature.
Which of the following factors helped cats live much longer than their counterparts? So far this remains a mystery.
